Catholic Memorial 'D' having banner season

Catholic Memorial defenders scramble for the ball after Pewaukee fumbled in the teams' Division 3 state semifinal matchup last week. The game marked the eighth time in 13 games that Memorial (13-0) held an opponent to single digits. It was the fifth time the Crusaders held an opponent below 200 yards.(Photo: John Klein / For the Journal Sentinel)Buy Photo

Pewaukee football coach Justin Friske perfectly summed up the challenge a team faces when it lines up against Catholic Memorial’s defense.

“Their linemen are as athletic as our linebackers and their linebackers are as big as our linemen,” Friske said. “It’s a difficult matchup.”

Those were some of Friske’s initial thoughts after Memorial posted a 30-7 victory in the Division 3 state semifinals last week. The victory sent the Crusaders to the state championship game for the second straight season, but it really was just another night at the office for one of the area’s stingiest defenses.

The performance marked the eighth time in 13 games that Memorial (13-0) held an opponent to single digits. It was the fifth time the Crusaders held an opponent below 200 yards and eighth time a team failed to reach 250.

The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association appreciated the unit’s work so much that it named senior outside linebacker Jaylen Campbell, senior safety Mike Oechsner and junior inside linebacker C.J. Goetz first-team all-state.

"They try to make you get out of a few things you might be comfortable doing,” said Mukwonago coach Clay Iverson, whose team lost, 34-14, to Memorial in Week 8. “They’re good enough and well-coached enough where if you try to line up toe-to-toe with them it could be a struggle.”

The Crusaders unit has helped the team achieve what so far has been a dream season. They went undefeated in the Classic 8, one of the state’s premier conferences, despite competing against Division I and Division II teams, and sit one victory from the program’s second WIAA state title.

They face Green Bay Notre Dame (12-1) at 10 a.m. Friday at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. The game is a rematch of the 2015 title game, one that Notre Dame won, 19-17, but was held to 273 yards, a respectable total considering it was a championship game.

“The best thing we’ve got going on defense is we’ve got kids who can run and whose football intel is really high,” Memorial coach Bill Young said. “And these guys love to compete.”

What opposing coaches see is a unit with playmakers at each level. The line, anchored by junior Jacob Kaiser and sophomore Luke Hubley, keeps blockers off the linebackers, who are then free to make tackles. The safeties support the run but not at the expense of getting beat deep.

And from what Arrowhead coach Fritz Rauch sees, it is a unit that is capable of adjusting to different styles of play.

“Their scheme, what it does is allows them to be real flexible,” said Rauch, whose team fell, 7-3, to Memorial in Week 6. “They’ll be flexible enough to play a team like us who wants to run the ball and try to jam the ball down their throat, and Notre Dame will probably spread it all over the field.”

The Tritons run a multiple-set offense that features a number of receivers who will be called upon to line up in multiple formations. Notre Dame coach John Nowak called the unit one of the top five he has had in his 31 seasons of coaching.

The unit probably leans toward the run, though. Senior Nate Ihlenfeldt, a 2,000-yard rusher, was a first-team all-state pick by the WFCA.

“He’s an excellent back, who combines speed and power,” Nowak said.

The same could be said of Memorial’s defense.

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Goetz leads the team with 89 tackles that include three sacks and 8½ tackles for a loss. Up next is senior Luke Groehler, who has 88 tackles, 5½ for a loss. Kaiser (6-4, 217) leads the team in sacks (six) and tackles for a loss (15).

Campbell (6-1, 196) has just 48 tackles, a total that is a function of teams deciding to run away from him. He also receives breaks because of the workload he carries as the team’s No. 1 running back. Nonetheless, he still has 13 ½ tackles for a loss.

And in the back end is Oechsner (6-0, 181), a track standout who covers a lot of ground. He has picked off seven passes and is fifth on the team with 50 tackles.

Together they’ve helped Catholic Memorial get to the brink of another state title. Do they have one more great performance in them?